Russian National Character and Values

With the mind alone Russia cannot be understood,

No ordinary yardstick spans her greatness;

She stands alone, unique –

In Russia one can only believe.

Fyodor Tyutchev

These words of the great Russian poet are often quoted by historians, philosophers, experts in cross-cultural communication - by those who try to define or, at least, to describe 'the enigmatic Rusian soul'. The task is difficult due to the uniqueness and complexity of the Russian national character. Yearning for freedom and submissiveness to power, inborn laziness and hard work, religiousness and superstitiousness - the combination of incompatible features in Russian people has always been a subject of discussion for both, foreigners and Russians themselves.

At all times, Russia’s been a mystery for westerners. The contradictions of the Russian character attract and, at the same time, frighten them. (See the quotations given in Pre-Reading.) When asked about their culture and mode of living, Russians often refer to the famous saying no matter what you say about Russia, the opposite might be true. Indeed, to understand the Russian cultural traits and way of life ('uklad zhizni') is not easy, but it's quite possible. According to observers, the main features and values of Russians stem from the geographical location and weather conditions of the country - vast territory with extended borders, abundance of natural resources, harsh climate.

First of all, situated on the crossroads of Europe and Asia Russia with its huge landmass has always been vulnerable to wars; besides, its richness in mineral resources has been attractive to envious neighbours. Many times in history Russians had to unite their forces and defend "Mother Russia" from foreign invaders; moreover, as a consequence of victories over enimies they expanded the borders. So, Russian patriotism is deeply rooted in love for the beautiful land, and a belief and pride in Russia as a great power in the world. Geography accounts for many other features of the Russian national character, such as, tolerance to other cultures, inertia and conservatism; long distances isolated the government and the people, as a result, causing disrespect to the laws and distrust of official information. In general, a Russian would rather believe in "what neighbours say" than trust "the printed word".

Secondly, severe climate and hard life conditions influenced the formation of Russia's national identity. Living for centuries in 'the Cold North' has made Russians strong and healthy, enduring and patient, cautious and resourceful. But also, long cold winters (periods of inactivity) and short summers (outbursts of energy and agitated work) led to the habit of working in jerks and to being lazy and hardworking at the same time. In addition, dependence on the weather conditions has contributed to the skeptical outlook on life and pessimism of Russian people. A well-known saying is worth mentioning in this respect. They say, Americans expect things to go well and become upset when they don't; Russians expect things to go poorly and become surprised when they don't. On the other hand, this anticipation of the negative, expectation of the unexpected have done Russians a good turn.

All the geopolitical factors discussed, together with the need to survive, developed communal spirit and togetherness which greatly distinguish Russians from Westerners. For centuries Russian peasants cultivated the land held in common, and all important decisions were made together (by sobranie). There existed different forms of collective land utilization -agricultural families, mir or obshchina, Soviet collective farms, cooperatives - which provided security and survival due to a collective effort and mutual aid. So, communalism, mutual support, and trust are highly esteemed characteristics in Russian culture. Two more cultural values of Russians stem from their agricultural way of life - egalitarianism and respect for authority (the latter brought about the social subordination rule - the junior obey the senior). In Russia the western value of equality was often viewed as equality of distribution of benefits. The highly respected heads of households guaranteed the fair distribution and removal of inequalities among individuals. Thus, for a long historic period egalitarianism was a social philosophy in the country.

Ultimately, group work resulted in such ideals of Russians as hospitality, friendship, and close family ties which are often considered as predominant Russian values. To start with, the spirit of communalism reveals itself in hospitality; often, the invitation "just to drink some tea" is likely to turn into a festive meal with lots of home-made dishes and amusements of guests. As for friendship, it can't be treated lightly with a Russian. Neither can family. At home, with their dearest and nearest — friends and family members — Russians feel secure and relaxed, sharing and caring, passionate and devoted. Truly, in spite of daily routine and busy work schedules they always have time for walks and talks with friends. In Russia, they say, the friend is the best psychiatrist, disinterested and unselfish. Likewise, family members are expected to lend moral support and financial assistance to each other. Russian parents consider it their parental duty to provide the children with everything - food, a place to live in, money, education, advice, guidance,.... Grandparents' primary responsibility is to babysit, while grown up children are to look after their elderly parents to repay the care they were taken of in childhood. To put it differently, Russians rely on a close-knit community of family and friends as protection against the risks and unpredictability of the world outside.

After all, the description of unique Russia's identity wouldn't be complete if one didn't mention that Russians are religious. Some reserachers believe - Russian culture and values have roots in Orthodoxy. As a result of the belief, the behaviour of Russians is often determined by the feelings and emotions which rest on noble ideals like - sense of compassion and duty, self-sacrifice and moral strength, courage and love for family, nature, Motherland. On the one hand, rationalistic and pragmatic cultures often criticize a Russian believer for his submissivenss, eagerness to suffer and even to enjoy suffering. However, such religious assumptions of Russian Orthodoxy as contempt for material wealth on the earth, preference of spiritual over material things have made Russians, according to N.Berdyaev, the most spiritual people in the world.

In conclusion, it should be mentioned, that today values may seem to be changing; in Russia many new things are happening politically. In fact, within the society one can distinguish, such layers as, Soviet-style subculture, West-oriented subculture, and others along with traditional subculture. Nevertheless, Russians keep the 'key elements' of the deep Russian culture, that's why their traditional value system is still strong and alien to the world of rationalism, materialism and pragmatism. "... Whatever happens, " says George Kennan, "... Russia is, and is going to remain a country very different from our own. We should not look for this difference to be overcome in any short space of time."

To draw the line, the Russian national character is stereotypically regarded as something of an enigma because of its contrasting features, contradictory values of Russians, their controversial way of life. And yet, for those who would like to go deeper and explore the country's history and geopolicy, mystery-Rus’ will reveal the depths and warmth of her "Great Russian soul".